The present invention relates to a shielded connector.
A hitherto known shielded connector exhibits a shielding function by means of covering an inner housing made from an insulating resin with a metal shield shell (see; for instance, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
For instance, a shielded connector described in connection with Patent Document 2, or the like, has a plurality of terminals connected to respective signal lines exposed at an end of a shielded cable; an insulator body (an inner housing) accommodating and retaining the respective terminals; a shielding metal cover (a shielded shell and shielded shell cover) for covering an exterior of the insulator body, wire connections of electric wires of the respective terminals, and entire portions of the respective signal lines exposed outside the shield; and an insulating cover housing (an outer housing) fitted to an exterior of the shielding metal cover.
The shielding metal cover has; for instance, a pair of C-shaped, mutually opposed cover bodies that engage with each other. A ferrule (a wire fixing section) for swaging and nipping a shield layer of the shielded cable is continually provided at a rear end of one C-shaped cover body (a shielded shell). The insulator body accommodating and holding the terminals connected to the respective signal lines is fitted to the one C-shaped cover body, and the shield layer of the shielded cable is nipped by means of the ferrule. Subsequently, the shielded connector is assembled in such a way that both sides of a remaining C-shaped cover body (a shielded shell cover) overlap their counterpart side plates of the one C-shaped cover body from the outside, thereby making up a rectangular, cylindrical shielding body.
Specifically, after the shield layer of the shielded cable has been swaged and nipped by means of the ferrule of the one C-shaped cover body, portions of the signal lines exposed outside the shield in the vicinity of the ferrule are covered with the other C-shaped cover body, whereby the shielding metal cover can cover the wire connections of the terminals housed and retained in the insulator body and the entire portions of the signal lines exposed outside the shield. Accordingly, a shielded connector exhibiting superior shielding performance can be obtained.
Incidentally, the shielded connector described in connection with Patent Document 2, and the like, forms the rectangular, cylindrical shielding body. Hence, the shielded connector is assembled in such a way that both side plates of the remaining C-shaped cover body overlap their counterpart side plates of the one C-shaped cover body from the outside. On this occasion, both side plates must be brought into reliable contact with each other in order to let the shielded connector exhibit superior shielding performance.
Moreover, in order to miniaturize the shielded connector, there is an ever-increasing demand for reducing the size of the shielding metal cover.
However, the C-shaped cover bodies making up the shielding metal cover are manufactured by pressing a thin metal plate. When an attempt is made to further miniaturize the shielding metal cover, dimensional tolerance and spring back which will occur during pressing or an error which will arise during assembly operation poses difficulties in bringing both side plates of the C-shaped cover bodies into reliable contact with each other.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-8-330026
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-2001-332356